Dear Friends,
 
This is not an administrative post, but it isn't really on-topic for
ME-HOCKEY either.  These are my heart-felt feelings about ME-HOCKEY's
current status, its future and what we (you as subscribers and me as
owner) need to do to make ME-HOCKEY a better informational source and
more friendly toward discussion.  I ask that everyone take a few
moments and read this message, thank you.
 
As many of you know, ME-HOCKEY was a goal of mine since I first started
with e-mail.  I've been distributing Maine hockey information to either
HOCKEY-L, a distribution list or ME-HOCKEY for four years now.
Creating this list was important to me because Maine hockey is
important to me.  I saw value in a discussion list, and I wanted Maine
hockey fans to be able to participate in such a forum.
 
That said, I am concerned with the recent lack of activity on the list.
 In less than a week Midnight Madness will be here, and hockey season
will be underway.  For the first time in two years, Maine will be
eligible for the NCAA Tournament and are a preseason top-ten ranked
team.  Yet there has been no discussion of any of this on the list.  I
do not know why, but I am surprised that no one has even really made
mention or inquired about the team's potential this year.
 
Even more troubling to me is that since I took a new job this summer
I've had less time to devote to making postings to the list, and
activity has gone down with that.  Unfortunately my time will continue
to be short during the season and I know I will struggle to make the
number of postings I might like to.
 
It would be easy, yet extremely inaccurate, for me to sit here and say
"You people need to post more messages."  For a discussion list like
this is only as good as it's subscriber base.  But there is a certain
responsibility that a list administrator (me) must take in running an
effective list.  I have made mistakes in the past and as such I
shoulder the blame.  In addition, I must ask myself if I have done
everything possible to make ME-HOCKEY a success?  I believe that there
is much more that I can do to make ME-HOCKEY successful and I plan to
do just that.
 
The first approach is to establish a Management Team that will run
ME-HOCKEY.  I will be a part of this team, but it will include 2-4
other people who are interested in helping ME-HOCKEY succeed.  In the
past I've made requests for help seem too complex.  Not this time!  If
you are interested in helping ME-HOCKEY drop me a note and we will
figure it out!  No applications or phone calls or jazz like that.  The
idea behind the M-Team is really simple.. that the more people who want
to see ME-HOCKEY succeed, the better the chances!
 
This Management Team will then set the agenda for how to help ME-HOCKEY
out.  I have given some thought and have some ideas that will help get
the new group involved.
 
That leads me into the reinforcement part of this message.  I've heard
from some people, and through the grape vine regarding several others,
that some people have ceased posting to the ME-HOCKEY list because they
have been messaged privately by individuals responding in a very
inappropriate manner to ME-HOCKEY posts.
 
This is extremely disappointing to me.  One of the reasons I
established ME-HOCKEY was to create an atmosphere friendly to Maine
hockey fans.  When I started this, Maine was still dealing with NCAA
troubles and it was difficult -- if not impossible -- to engage in a
Maine discussion on national lists because of the strong feelings
people harbor towards Maine and those associated with them.  I felt we,
as Maine fans, deserved better.  To hear that Maine fans have now taken
to bashing each other is very discouraging.
 
Let me stress that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE will I tolerate anyone using
ME-HOCKEY as a vehicle in which to flame, bash, harass, offend etc.
Those who do will not be welcome here, period.  If anyone on this list
at any point in time receives a message in response to a ME-HOCKEY post
that is considered a flame, please contact me and send me a copy of
that message.  Together we will take care of the issue.  NO ONE should
feel intimidated to post a message to this list at any time.  I cannot
help anyone unless they contact me, but there are several different
things that can be done to take care of this.  So please let's treat
each other with respect and if a problem arises please make me aware of
it otherwise I cannot help you and the list membership suffers if you
no longer post messages.  If you have any questions about this, please
contact me!
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this message.  ME-HOCKEY is very
important to me and I want to see it succeed, but I do need help.  If
you want to become involved, at any level, do not hesitate to get in
touch with me.  Furthermore, if you have any ideas or comments you can
always e-mail me at [log in to unmask]  You can always help
ME-HOCKEY just by encouraging good, high quality posting and giving
recognition to those who make those posts!
 
Thanks for your continued support of ME-HOCKEY and Maine Hockey!
 
DROP THE PUCK!!!
 
--
Deron Treadwell - [log in to unmask]
University of Maine